tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2067265009412241712017-07-28T02:28:59.268-04:00Old Southern Garden GENTILITY * CIVILITY * PROPRIETY * LEARNED SOCIETY * AGRARIAN CULTURE * DISCIPLINE FAITH * HONOR Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-53280279513005459392016-04-06T11:22:00.001-04:002016-04-06T11:22:22.666-04:00Antebellum Flowers<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Crinum Lily</span><br />Oh, the very thought<br />of this dear old southern flower<br />takes my breath.<br />Related to the amaryllis, the crinum is what the old southerners refer to as the Easter Lily, and it is the lily in our historic cemeteries. Crinum lilies are most often found at old home sites and in historic neighborhoods. <br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Old Southern Heritage</span><br />Crinum lilies often grow wild along rivers and swamps and certainly make up the landscape of memories southerners have of a childhood spent roaming the lush countryside.&nbsp; This is the lily of southern childhood.<br /><div><div><div><div>The crinum lily is a link to our old southern ways. The sight of the tender crinum in a lone field often signifies the place where an old home once stood, a lovely wood church rose high and narrow, or a loved one was long ago buried.&nbsp; It is a pretty marker all along our southern landscape. </div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Old Southern Way</span><br /><div>This dear sweet lily is a testament to the unwritten histories of our southern heritage. Keeping crinum lilies is so old-fashioned, too few southerners even know of them or of their history in the lives of southern women.&nbsp;<br />This old lily has been lovingly passed from one dear southern lady to the next for hundreds of years, and mamas would come calling on their newly married daughters with crinums in hand.&nbsp; Often, these graceful lilies were the first things planted alongside the old bridal roses. </div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Old Southern Tradition</span></div><div>It is the tradition in my family to take the long, narrow crinum fronds and weave them into pretty runners for our Easter tables. The southern ladies and their little girls would sit together on quiet afternoons and weave the lovely green fronds together. </div><div>The garden bounty of fresh vegetables nestled together </div><div>in old eggshell china has been placed upon lily frond mats for centuries.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Choosing Crinums</span></div><div>Several varieties are native to the Deep South. The native ones are high summer and fall bloomers, so now is the time to plant them. </div><div>Crinums offer a lovely show among the waning late-summer flowers. </div><div>The milk-and-wine lily is a pretty peppermint striped and is lovely in floral arrangements.&nbsp;<br />The Ellen Bosanquet is a deep red-burgundy.</div><div>Crinum powellii is a traditional, graceful white.</div><div>Crinum americanum is a slender-petaled white flower.<br />I urge anyone wishing to keep our old southern traditions alive to consider growing crinums.</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Old Southern Garden</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Old Fashioned Crinums</span></div><div><span style="color: #336666;">Plant crinum in a sunny spot from late-spring to late-summer. Till in a rich compost to prepare a nice growing medium for your crinums. Plant bulbs 10 inches deep. Do not mulch once planted. </span></div><div><span style="color: #336666;">Crinums are perfect near garden ponds, but I have found that they will thrive in heavy clay, too. </span></div><div><span style="color: #336666;">Crinum may experience foliage frost kill, just trim back dead foliage and cover bulbs with pine straw for the winter.</span></div><div><span style="color: #336666;">Do not despair if you do not see blooms in the first few years. Once ready, they are prolific bloomers, and you will enjoy decades of beautiful, vanilla-lemon scented old southern lilies.</span> </div></div></div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-23090716116869230822016-03-14T07:54:00.002-04:002016-03-14T07:54:57.321-04:00Classical Education<span style="color: #336666;"><i>It is the tradition in my family to have children privately tutored.</i></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><i>My ancestors insisted on classic education with emphasis on the logic, rhetoric, languages, grammar, sciences, mathematics, philosophy, history, fine arts, music, and theology.<br />My family keeps a library of the lectures, lessons, primers, and copies of original source materials from each generation of students.</i></span>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-4617395280259097552016-03-11T04:16:00.000-05:002016-03-11T07:39:32.622-05:00Grandmother's House<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;">A Southern Memory</span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>It is my earliest memory. Mother wore a chiffon of white silk, and I was dressed in a cotton lawn day dress of the softest primrose. We were dressed in keeping with the world into which we were born: simple, and special, and light, and soft. Mother’s gloved hand holding my own as I climbed and climbed the many gray-painted steps of the grand old porch of my Grandmother’s home. </i></span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>Grandmother’s porch is deep and cool and sweet. Pom-poms of Boston fern hang in shadowy rows, crisp white rocking chairs of thick, old wicker stand sentry under a robin’s egg blue veranda ceiling. Before that grand door awaiting entry, I stood up a bit straighter. I delighted in the very grown-up privilege of attending Grandmother's tea.</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;">Old Southern Home</span></div><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>Her dear home was built for the south. High ceilings, tall, tall windows, and a wide center hall allow the heat to rise and the breeze to flow. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>There is neither air conditioning, nor fan.</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>My dear grandfather smilingly declares, “The house was old when Richard Lee was a boy.” It is an old, old home, and one that requires man to contend with and be a partner to nature. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>Grandmother’s home is light and still and serene. It offers a cool, genteel respite from the heat of our south and the frenzy of our times. The surprising cool and the mingled scent of beeswax polish and roses is a succor for the senses. I often find myself sitting stock-still, waiting for another taste of the elusive breeze, rare as a pearl. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>August brings 95-degree heat and 95 per cent humidity, yet duty and tradition transcend mere weather. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;">Southern Lady</span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>Grandmother, this tiny Dresden china doll, who isn’t even five feet tall, carries herself with all the might of a sovereign. A required mix of perfect comportment and gentle manner, her quiet ways and formal habits are a reflection of care. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>The willful decision</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>to remain serene in a frenetic world,</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>to choose to be well-read and cultured,</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>to insist on excellence in character </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>and discipline in manner.</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;">Old Southern Ways</span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>Grandmother has tea in the afternoon, year round, always properly dressed, always in ceremony. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>We live the old ways and in ceremony. The thoughtful acts which demand a slowing-down. This is where I learned how to behave, and the behavior was refined. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>This is where I learned the mannerly, and the manner, was thoughtful and intelligent. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>This is where I learned to listen, and the sound was the art of polite conversation, and the skill at my grandmother’s piano, and knowledge brought to life through the well-read. </i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>This was where I learned to see, and the scene was of the natural world brought to order in Grandmother’s cutting garden, and fine old family treasures carefully maintained, and lovely womanhood which was natural and well cared for.</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>This is were I learned to value refinement,</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>to revere intelligence,</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>to maintain tradition,</i></span><br /><span style="color: #45818e;"><i>to raise my family.</i></span>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-53887275192189023422016-03-08T08:05:00.000-05:002016-03-08T08:05:39.275-05:00Old Southern Ritual<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">The Art of Ritual</span><br />In the South, we savor our rituals. We are attuned to the deep seated need for reflection and order. The power of ritual abides in us all, however it takes discipline to tend to it and create it.<br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Tea</span><br />Ritual can be carved from the mundane. It is the slowing down and savoring a moment. It is living, observed. The ritual of afternoon tea can be all the more special when it is saved, delayed. Decide which tasks must be completed before your day is done and save tea time for then. The work will then take on a different light.<br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Bath</span><br />A warm bath has a primal appeal. It sooths and nourishes a weary body. Choose Epsom salts, herbs, dried flowers, milk, or fruit oils for your bath. The warmth and care you give yourself allows you to better care for others.Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-40640746413504233022016-03-03T10:25:00.002-05:002016-03-03T10:33:17.599-05:00Chicory Coffee<div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A rich, deep, French Roast is mixed with smoky, pungent chicory to create a lovely velvety, thick-as-mud coffee.</div><div>Chicory, a relative of the endive, is a Mediterranean native and was introduced to Europe via France in the 15th century. It is believed to have tonic qualities and is quite uplifting. </div><div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; For the best-tasting coffee, choose a French press coffee maker.&nbsp; Once the coffee is steeping, steam milk or half-and-half to a temperature no greater than 155 degrees. When possible, choose a copper milk steamer, as the copper distributes heat most evenly, thus ensuring better temperature regulation. </div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Combine equal parts coffee and steamed milk to serve. Sugar complements chicory nicely but is not necessary, as steaming milk tends to make it sweet. </div></div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-47333304658445690622016-03-02T09:38:00.000-05:002016-03-02T09:38:01.682-05:00American Script<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">English Round Hand</span><br />The 1700's was a time when a variety of writing styles were taught and used in various groups. Your penmanship would reveal your age, gender, profession, and societal rank. However, while reading instruction was spreading, writing was only for the upper class and their secretaries, professionals, merchants, and clerks.<br />The upper-class colonists wrote in English Round Hand, also known as the English copperplate method. George Bickham's copybook, <i>The Universal Penman</i>, was incredibly influential in England upon its publishing in 1743. It set English copperplate as the standard.<br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">American Copperplat<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GXL8RI27_6g/TAZVeyWZUHI/AAAAAAAABUY/9tMWCZOmPMA/s1600/The+Art+of+Writing.jpg"></a>e</span><br />In the late 1700's John Jenkins created a distinctly American style based heavily on English copperplate. His book, <i>The Art of Writing</i>, was published in 1791. Jenkins' American copperplate was the writing style from the colonial to the antebellum period. It was taught until 1840's.<br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Modified Round Hand</span><br />Duntonian Script was a modified round hand which became popular from the 1840's to 1865. At this time regular school attendance was up, and Duntonian Script was a style suitable for young pupils. Alvin R. Dunton, 1812-1892, created this writing style with a variety of writing needs in mind.<br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Spencerian Script</span><br />The most important and longest-taught American writing style of the 1800's, the Spencerian method, was created in the early 1820's. Platt R. Spencer broke down letter forms into easily reproducible common elements, which could be combined to form individual letters. This method was beautifully ornate, yet fairly easily learned. It proved incredibly popular and became the standard of the 1800's. It is still the standard among southerners of a certain standing.<br /><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="font-size: 130%;">Palmer</span></span><br />The Palmer Method replaced the Spencerian handwriting system by the 1890's. A. N. Palmer, 1859-1927, created the style which would be popular in business and elementary schools into the early 1920's. This new method did away with much of the ornamental flourish, and the resulting plainer script was easier to write quickly. Its creation coincided with the advent of business and secretarial schools, and it was tauted as the business writing style.Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-83077468092377972122015-10-24T17:50:00.001-04:002015-10-24T17:52:30.668-04:00The Value of Aesthetics<span style="color: #336666;"><em>It helps the healthiness both of body and soul to live among beautiful things</em>.</span><br /><span style="color: #336666;">--William Morris</span><br /><div><div>As we endeavor to shape the minds of our children, let us not forget to establish for them a realm of beauty and nature. </div><div>Children experience the world sensorially before weighing it intellectually. Therefore, the world we first create for a child sets a foundation for what the child considers correct, beautiful, appropriate. </div><div>As a child's participation in the natural world helps to develop an important relationship to it, so too does a child's experience with art. </div><div>While there are many, many art and craft products geared toward developing a child's creativity and imagination, it is more important to expose our children to the great works of art first. </div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-40003920934436122242015-10-22T07:00:00.000-04:002015-10-22T07:01:02.782-04:00Old Southern Linens Wash Recipes<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Antique Linens Care</span><br />Hemstitching. Skillful embroidery. Delicately tatted trim. These were the skills and accomplishments of our ancestors. A southern girl was taught the gentle home arts at her mother's knee. It was her pride to be known as a talent at her needlework, and each girl knew that her pretty creations would one day adorn her home and be a blessing to her family.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Many southern women cherish these hand-crafted treasures passed down through the generations but are unsure just how to care for them. Sadly, many beautiful heirloom linens remain stored away creating the tell-tale yellow-brown storage stains.</div><div>What so few know is that consistent use is the key to maintaining antique linen. Clearly, the more often you use your linens, the more you must wash them. Proper washing techniques actually keep your linens at their best. </div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Of Special Note</span></div><div>I have received more e-mails about all of the old southern cleaning products and toiletries I make, and I posted a bit about them. </div><div>I do indeed make my own dish soap, scouring powders, spray cleaners, antique linens wash, laundry soap, linen sprays, hand scrubs, toiletries, cold cream, bath products, body scrubs, work scrubs, dusting powders, sachets, etc. from very old southern recipes. </div><div>I follow the recipes from my family's old household ledgers and journals, and because they are a part of the original estate, I am&nbsp;hesitant to post the recipes or offer the products to readers.&nbsp; It is both a legal matter and an issue of propriety.&nbsp; I gladly share the recipes from the journals that have been bequeathed directly to me, and the following one is useful for infant clothing and linens, too.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Honoring Our Past</span></div><div>It is a wish of many southern homemakers to return to the traditional home-care practices. All the ease and convenience our quick, modern household chemicals, appliances, and cleaning gadgets have not created for us a more satisfactory existence. <br />Quite the opposite is true. Our modern methods remove us from the superior position of skilled homemaker to one of mere middle man. Just as the industrial revolution did away with skilled workers and made unskilled, assembly line<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GXL8RI27_6g/TDR_PeKdzJI/AAAAAAAABp4/0lUqdUAG3Go/s1600/antique+french+tatting.jpg"></a> drones, so too does a cauldron of someone else's chemical mix remove us from our task.&nbsp; How long would one's clothing and linens remain in good form if&nbsp;all laundering concoctions were removed from market shelves tomorrow?&nbsp; </div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Old Southern Ways</span><br /><div>There is a profound grace found in the old ways. The slow methods offer a time for reflection and a task for the hand. These gentler generations benefitted from the quiet and the patience of time. It is a fitting tribute to these lovely, handmade linens to use the same methods for cleaning and care as their makers did.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">What You Will Need</span><br />Table Salt</div><div>White vinegar </div><div>Lemons</div><div>Old fashioned soap. I recommend Savon de Marseille, as it is unscented and all natural. Traditional bars of white castile soap work well, too.&nbsp; However, ensure the soap is hemp oil free and fragrance free.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Cleaning Methods</span></div>Bring a pot of water to a boil.<br /><div>Turn off heat, and add two sliced lemons and 1/4 c salt per gallon of water.</div><div>Add linens, cover, and leave overnight.</div><div>Repeat once more only if a significant amount of staining remains.</div><div>Hand wash with soap.</div><div>Add vinegar to final rinse to remove any residue.</div><div>Line-dry.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Stubborn Stains</span></div><div>Rub a lemon half directly onto stain.</div><div>Cover lemon-soaked stain with salt.</div><div>Lay flat on a towel in the sun for several hours.</div><div>Hand wash with soap.</div><div>Add vinegar to final rinse to remove any residue.</div><div>Line-dry. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_GXL8RI27_6g/TDSB4jGFIaI/AAAAAAAABqY/hvQ2xTPmX0k/s1600/bed+linens.gif"></a><br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">What Not To Use</span></div><div>1. Bleach and bleach substitutes should never be used on linen. While bleach will remove stains it will also irreparably damage the linen fibers. Bleached linen will disintegrate over time.</div><div>2. Detergents. Dishwashing and dishwasher soaps and laundry soaps will break linen down.</div><div>3. Oxy- products. Many people actually recommend them, but I would never, ever use them.</div><div>4. Washing Machine and dryer. They are simply too agitating for linen fibers.</div><div>5. Starch. The beauty of oft-laundered linen is its superb softness. Starching linens creates an unnatural look and feel, and starch will break down linen fibers.</div>6. Hot iron. I do not apply an iron often, but when I do, I keep it at a very low setting and place a cotton towel between the iron and the linen. T<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_GXL8RI27_6g/TDSFK8STJpI/AAAAAAAABqo/tfT2q4vyu5w/s1600/antique+linen+wash.jpg"></a>he beauty of antique linen is that it is softer and much less prone to wrinkle than newer linen. </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-47728164221922241832015-10-21T08:32:00.000-04:002015-10-21T08:37:52.608-04:00Old Southern Food Ways<div align="left"><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Traditional Southern Culinary Habits</span><br />I am slim, and I eat well. I have never dieted, nor have I ever owned a scale. I do not avoid any food group.&nbsp; I do not fear carbs or fats.&nbsp; <br />I do not get sick, and I have no allergies.&nbsp; My skin is clear, my hair is shiny, and my teeth are healthy, straight and strong.&nbsp; <br />While my genetic makeup may determine some of this, I know that my culinary upbringing and my cooking and eating habits determine my weight and health.</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">The Five Hundred Year Rule</span><br /><strong><em><span style="color: #76a5af;">If it did not exist 500 years ago, I do not eat it.</span></em> </strong></div><div align="left">In other words, I eat no artificial foods. Ever.<br />To me, processing foods means:<br />creating yogurt and cheese <br />baking bread <br />hand-making pasta<br />canning<br />pickling<br />cooking meats and eggs, <br />crystallizing cane juice into sugar <br />roasting coffee beans <br />drying tea leaves <br />collecting honey <br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">What We Eat</span><br />The following is an example of my current food choices.<br />Plain, whole milk, organic yogurt.<br />Dry roasted, unsalted almonds.<br />Walnuts.<br />Pecans.<br />Pickled vegetables.<br />Good mustards.<br />Distinctive honeys.<br />Dark salad greens.<br />Green beans.<br />Artichokes.<br />Asparagus.<br />Herbed vinegars.<br />Rice.<br />Beef (grass-fed only).<br />Lots of fresh and dried herbs.&nbsp; I grow basil, rosemary, lavender, oregano, bay, and thyme.<br />Lamb in season.<br />Some chicken.<br />Fish: smoked trout, herring.<br />Olives.<br />Lots of cheese.<br />Beets.<br />Greens: mustard, collard, and turnip. <br />Various root vegetables.<br />Various peppers.<br />Broccoli.<br />Okra.<br />Summer squash.<br />So, so many tomatoes.<br />Eggplant.<br />Berries.<br />More pears than apples.<br />Stone fruits.<br />Eggs.<br />Butter.<br />Cream.<br />Only the very best bread (I prefer rusty European breads over eggy yeast breads).<br />Only the very best chocolate.<br />Full bodied red wine and dry, dry white wine.<br />Coffee with cream.<br />Black tea.<br />Water.<br />Salmon: never, ever farm raised. Never.<br />Meats and dairy products always organic.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Cooking Practices</span><br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">What We Don't Do</span><br />We do not drink milk or fruit juices, ever. <br />I do not make homemade versions of fast food.&nbsp; <br />No homemade pizzas, hamburgers, corndogs, nachos.&nbsp; <br />I do not find compiled foods appealing, nor to I consider it a very fine culinary practice.&nbsp; <br />I do not make homemade versions of boxed and bagged snacks.&nbsp; <br />No homemade French fries, no homemade chips.<br />We do not eat casseroles. <br />We do not eat sandwiches.&nbsp; <br />We do not eat corn, except for the occasional cornbread, hominy, or grits.<br />We do not snack.<br />No children's menu.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">What We Do</span><br />Our meals are formal, and all of our entertaining is very formal. We eat in the dining room only. Children eat what adults eat.&nbsp;&nbsp; We drink water throughout the day.<br />We eat a lot of vegetables. We eat salads everyday, and it usually consists of red onion, arugula or spinach, and various herbs and vegetables.<br />I bake a lot.&nbsp; It is something I truly enjoy.&nbsp; I bake all of our breads&nbsp;twice per week, usually Saturday and Tuesday mornings.&nbsp; I bake sweet things on Saturday afternoons.<br />We will occasionally make ice cream.<br />I keep most dishes at three main ingredients or fewer (excluding herbs and spices). I cook with cream and butter, but the overall dish remains very simple. I make a lot of soups. Our desserts are usually fresh fruit and often cream.<br />I do not often have a need to employ a solidified fat, but when I do I use beef, goose, or duck. I cook mostly in butter, but when oil is needed I use walnut and, on occasion, olive oil.&nbsp; I never use corn or other vegetable oils. I make a&nbsp;vinaigrette of Champagne vinegar and walnut oil&nbsp;and creamy, herb-filled salad dressings.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Typical Meals</span><br />We follow a set meal time every day. For breakfast I bake biscuits, or rice muffins, or various breads, and we eat it with butter, cheese (mostly goat cheese)&nbsp;and berries. We often have vegetable and herb soups, smoked trout, and nuts with breakfast, too.<br />Dinner is our main meal, and we usually eat several courses: hors d'oeuvres, salad, main dish, cheese/ dessert.<br />We generally take tea in the afternoons. I'll make an omelet, yogurt, or bread and cheese.<br />I often braise or roast meats. I roast or steam vegetables. </div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-32524684014596126792015-10-20T04:00:00.000-04:002015-10-20T09:40:38.437-04:00Southern Lady Gardener<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Southern Flower</span><br />There is a most delicate garden species in the deep south. Of the lightest shades of pale. Carefully shaded from the hot southern sun.<br />One may detect the presence by the sight of pretty straw brims, pale cotton with the tiniest rosebud print, chamois gloves, the dull glow of pearls.<br />Some are hot-house beauties,<br />some are shade-tree lovelies,<br />others are night blooming rarities.<br />Trailing this delicate specimen is the lovely scent or orange-flower blossom, or lavender, or verbena.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Southern Womanhood</span><br />It is the time-honored tradition of the ladies of the deep south to tend to their gardens. It is such an integral part of southern culture and southern womanhood that one may begin to believe that these fine ladies are as much inhabitants of these gardens as any other southern flower.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Southern Stewards</span><br />From this sacred plot comes the foundation of southern belief: We are of this land, and the land is of us. With land and home comes our identity. Our partnership with the soil is reflected in our partnership with our community. We are the stewards of the land. The Lord has fashioned in man a caretaker of his earth. The southerner lifts up thanks to God for the responsibility and the bounty.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Southern Roots</span><br />In this garden, the southern lady tends to history. It is in the cuttings taken from the gardens of the generations which came before her. She is reminded of her great-grandmother as she tends to her jasmine. She grows the roses her mother grows. She plants magnolias for her daughters and pines for her sons.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Southern Wings</span><br />From this soil the southern lady nourishes her family. She grows her tomatoes and squashes in late spring, her salads in summer, her deep greens in fall, her root vegetables in winter. Her babies help lift the old English trug baskets, heaping and heavy. They learn from her, and they learn about her. These little ones grow strong in health and knowledge.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Southern Home</span><br />From this garden she decorates her home. Pretty flowers. Handsome herbs. Vine wreaths get filled and re-filled as the seasons turn. Cool summer baths, petal-speckled as with confetti.<br />It is where she goes for comfort, and duty, and care, and connection. It is where she creates comfort, and duty, and care, and connection.Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-42595229713674980002015-10-19T05:47:00.000-04:002015-10-20T09:42:26.902-04:00Southern ComportmentMy great-grandmother was a formidable woman. She was exacting in her ways and suffered no fools. The great lady, this matriarch, shaped the last three (and now four) generations of my family so strongly that her quick intelligence is felt in many of our ways.<br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Rules of the Old South</span><br />As we begin to organize her diaries and correspondence, we often come across some rule, some mandate, she so often extolled.<br />The following ten <em>rules</em> were found in letters to various family members. The most recent rule on this list was written in 1932. We have uncovered many, many more...<br /><div align="left"><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Be mindful that every decision you make has a consequence. There is a right way and a wrong way to behave. It is foolish to pretend otherwise.</em></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Modern education theory is mere trend and drivel. There will always be a student taught through classical means. Either you to will be, or you will incur the pablum shovelled into the mouths of the masses.</em></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Be serious about politics. It is of no use for you to engage in political sentimentality. You must engage intelligently or you are not worthy of your vote.</em></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Reject the church that will pander to modern tastes. </em></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Dress with propriety. It is disrespectful to others to cling to excuses of comfort. If you accept comfort as an excuse, you communicate that you are weak. </em></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Practice the discipline of serenity. It is easy to become irritated. Decide to respond in a dignified manner to daily annoyances. You must control childish impulses and demand of yourself mastery over them. </em></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Move gracefully about your day. Demand of yourself the effort it takes to stand up straight, sit properly, hold up your chin.</em></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Insist on eating properly and engage in natural, reasonable physical exertion. There is no excuse for allowing your body to become burdened by too much weight or ailments brought on by your own habits.</em></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span><span style="color: #336666;"><em>A child's education is the responsibility of the parents both in its cultivation and its maintenance. To believe otherwise is a foolish error. </em></span><br /><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span><span style="color: #336666;"><em>Intelligence is a desirable attribute. Do not accept the dangerous modern desire for the common. This home-spun foolishness costs us our dignity and our rights. Insist on intellectual and moral integrity. </em></span></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-55492249917616433852015-10-17T07:41:00.000-04:002015-10-17T07:41:08.046-04:00Your Perfect Dress<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">The Shift Dress</span><br /><div><div><div><div>The shift dress is the most flattering outfit for any body type, whether you are thin or very heavy. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this classic style. If you can purchase but one item of clothing, the shift dress is it. There is no other clothing style that will flatter a lady's body better than a shift. </div><div>Whether you are apple or&nbsp;pear, slim or curvy there are key elements to look for when shopping. One need only consider the following elements when determining which shift to choose.<br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Key Elements for Any Shape</span><br /><div><div><div><div>There are a few simple guidelines one may consider when dressing to best advantage. Acknowledging your basic body shape and dressing for it is important, and knowing whether you are a bit more pear shaped than apple shaped is beneficial, but knowing which clothing lengths, shapes, and fabrics are most flattering to you is key.&nbsp; The proper cut, drape, and taper are&nbsp;essential to a flattering effect on a figure. <br /><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Creating Illusion</span></div></div></div></div></div><div>-Avoid knit jersey, as is universally UNflattering. It is not of a quality that will hold up.<br /><div>-Choose natural fibers that are thicker and have a solidity.&nbsp; </div><div>-Find a shift that is most tapered at the lower ribs. This will always be the slimmest part of your silhouette, and you simply cannot go wrong remembering this guideline. Also, this shape accommodates fluctuations in weight.</div>-A boat neck is especially flattering to those who are pear shaped, who have narrow shoulders, and those who wish to off-set broader hips by creating the illusion of a more even proportion.<br />-A V-neck is universally flattering. For those with&nbsp;very broad shoulders a boat neck collar will unflatteringly emphasized them, but a V-neck or a rounded neck lends pretty symmetry. </div><div>-Ruffles will add thickness and bulk to the upper-body, and I have rarely seen them actually improve a lady's appearance. Unless you have extremely wide hips in proportion to a tiny upper body, it is best to leave ruffles to children.</div><div>-A sleeveless style is always more flattering than a cap-sleeve, even heavier arms are shown to better advantage sleeveless.&nbsp; However, there are many occasions when a sleeveless style is inappropriate.&nbsp; The flattering cardigan or jacket are then necessary.&nbsp; Plus, they offer opportunities for lovely enhancements and embellishments.&nbsp; </div><div>-A three-quarter sleeve is the most flattering sleeve length for anyone. If you are carrying a bit more weight than your build can comfortably accommodate, then make sure the sleeve hits your arm at the highest slim point. This creates the illusion of a long, slim, graceful wrist and hand, and it actually elongates the look of the arm better than a long sleeve.</div><div>-A back zipper will pull the fabric of your dress a bit behind you, creating a more flattering silhouette. </div><div>-Even if you are self-conscious about your weight, do not choose a loose-fitting dress, it will just create boxy bulk. It is especially important for women who are thicker through the waist to choose a shift that will be form fitting.</div><div>-A shift is always most flattering when it comes to the middle-to-top of the knee.<br /><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Remember, Keep It Slim At The Lower Rib Cage</span></div><div>The proportion is perfect and the lines of the dress are quite flattering.</div><div>A dress is tapered at the lower rib cage allows for comfortable movement, and a flat front style </div><div>offers a smooth, tailored effect.</div></div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">The Plus Size Shift</span></div><div>There is simply no other outfit so flattering to a fuller silhouette than the shift.&nbsp; One needs simply to compare images of a&nbsp;clothing catalog's plus-sized model in a shift&nbsp;to images of her&nbsp;in&nbsp;other outfits to see the difference the shift makes.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Perfect Maternity Wear</span></div></div><div><div><div>The shift dress&nbsp;is always a lovely and dignified choice. Again, gentle tapering at the lower rib cage allows for comfort and movement without&nbsp;creating a&nbsp;bulky silhouette.&nbsp; A three-quarter sleeve slims and elongates the wrist and allows for comfort and coverage.&nbsp; </div></div></div></div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-46283393809974080262015-10-16T07:53:00.000-04:002015-10-16T07:53:03.640-04:00ChoicesChildren's Church.<br />Play dates.<br />Playscapes.<br />Playschool.<br />Overstimulation.<br />Toddler <em>socialization.</em><br />Leave home.<br />Drive.<br />Story hour.<br />Leave home.<br />Drive.<br />Pay.<br />Song and play hour.<br />Television instruction.<br />And entertainment.<br />And indoctrination.<br />And, "Don't forget to eat at...".<br />Compressed chicken, fried. Fries. Fried pies.<br />Organic corn syrup. Organic frozen dinners. Organic animal crackers.<br />Organic baby formula.<br />DHA!<br />Recalls.<br />Toys made by the hands of other children.<br />Not by the hands...<br />...of American men...<br />...in American companies...<br />...in American towns.<br />Of plastic.<br />Now, BPA-free!<br />Play families.<br />Dancer-singer-actress-model doll.<br />Suitable for ages 3 and up!<br /><div style="text-align: left;">Recalls.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><em>Or...</em><br />Momma.<br />Home.<br />Quiet. </div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-34084956718827612232015-10-15T07:25:00.000-04:002016-03-03T09:44:56.511-05:00Southern Lady<span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;"></span><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Return to Southern Tradition</span><br />It is disheartening to consider<br />the modern notions of southern womanhood.<br />The depictions of female southernness<br /><div><div>in literature, television and movies </div><div>are bawdy, </div><div>graceless, </div><div>and not only <i>unintelligent</i> </div><div>but <i>anti-intelligent</i>. </div><div>It is a disrespect to true southern womanhood, </div><div>yet sadly, </div><div>southern women buy into it, </div><div>support it, </div><div>and mimic it. </div><div>I fear fewer and fewer southern girls </div><div>are being raised in the old ways, </div><div>and they turn to the television version as a model.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Southern Wedding Day</span></div><div>In a time when young ladies<br />wear revealing wedding dresses </div><div>with exposed corsetry in church weddings,<br />wish to look sexy on their wedding day,</div><div>perform choreographed dances at their receptions...</div><div>it is perhaps appropriate that we explore examples of lovely weddings, </div><div>which are respectful of faith, </div><div>mindful of tradition, </div><div>and examples of true femininity.</div><div><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 130%;">Restoring The Southern Lady</span></div><div>It is my wish that we restore the old virtues of the Southern Lady. </div><div>The true southern lady is pious, modest, and dignified. </div><div>These true southern ladies</div><div>whose virtues bless the home, </div><div>whose accomplishments embellish the hearth, </div><div>whose intelligence is sharpened and taste carefully cultivated,</div><div>and whose beauty is based in femininity...</div><div>shall return our culture to what is great</div><div>and what is true.</div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-45933957078796471692015-10-13T04:00:00.000-04:002015-10-13T09:31:37.745-04:00Southern FormalityWe live in a time that is structurlessly informal and yet hyper-sensitive to the <em>rule</em> of etiquette.<br /><div>Our popular culture represents a casual lifestyle as the ideal, and there is a praise of informal ease. </div><div>However, it renders many adrift who, too late, realize the errors of formless function. </div><div>The number of etiquette lessons, rule books, cotillions, and advice columns in the last ten years is a testament to the realization of what has been lost. A loss of what used to be simple, proper upbringing.</div><div>There is an inherent ease to formal living too few realize. </div><div>There is a security which comes from knowing what to expect and what is expected. </div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-64762178007595147842015-06-29T05:19:00.000-04:002015-10-13T08:20:52.594-04:00Madeleines<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;"><em><span style="font-size: 78%;">Once I had recognized the taste of the crumb of madeleine soaked in her decoction of lime flowers which my aunt used to give me...</span></em><em><span style="font-size: 78%;">immediately the old gray house, where her room was, rose up like a stage set...the little pavilion opening on to the garden which had been built out behind it for my parents</span></em></span><em><span style="color: #336666; font-size: 78%;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">...the country roads we took when it was fine.</span> </span></em></div><div align="left">This lovely sponge cake with its tender crumb is a beautiful little&nbsp;accompaniment to tea. Madeleines carry a most delicate perfume of orange flower, only subtly detected if one were to savor each curved, fluted shell.</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #76a5af;">The True Madeleine</span></div><div align="left">Unfortunately, there are many, many inferior Madeleine recipes, some even call for lemon or orange zest and no orange flower water at all. The beauty of the true Madeleine is the lovely scent of orange flower and its delicate shape, as they are only made in shell-shaped pans.</div><div align="left">This is the original Commercy, France recipe from 1755. It is a simple, simple recipe, and the only ingredient you may not have on hand perhaps would be the orange flower water. Just make sure to purchase an orange flower water suitable for cooking.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Madeleines<br />1 3/4 all-purpose flour<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1 c superfine sugar<br />2/3 c butter<br />6 eggs<br />1 tbs orange flower water<br />Preheat oven to 425F. Lightly butter then lightly flour molds. Sift flour and baking powder together. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar with a wooden spoon. Add eggs to the butter and sugar. Sift flour and baking powder mixture into the butter, sugar, egg mixture. Stir in orange flower water. Spoon into molds. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn Madeleines out onto a wire cooling rack.</span> </div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-60082907004499423042015-06-25T07:02:00.001-04:002015-10-13T08:07:33.676-04:00Old Southern GardenThe day's hours are announced by a bounty of heavenly southern scent. <br />As the sun makes its way across the sky, it coaxes the fragrances from our gardens with its warmth. Early morning brings us the scent of our roses, which are always planted to receive the first rays of the day. <br />Noon brings the earthy scent of corn and tomato plants from the vegetable garden. <br />Late afternoon brings the mingled scents of verbena, rosemary, and lavender from our full-sun-loving herb garden. <br />Evening time brings the lush, mysterious scent of our night-blooming flowers.Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-78862464183431684442015-06-25T06:52:00.006-04:002015-10-13T08:08:28.452-04:00Old Southern Ways<strong><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">The South Before Air Conditioning</span></span></strong><br />How can it be that something that has only been a common way of life since the 1960's could so dramatically change the landscape, architecture, culture, and traditions of our beloved South?<br /><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Grace of Thoughtful Living</span></strong><br />It is hard to imagine the slow, quiet life our people lived before air conditioning. Creating an artificial environment brought an end to much of our outdoor living, and I believe there is a gentle grace that has gone with it. How would life be different if we had to live life and plan our days around the elements? What have we lost in our quest to <em>fix</em> our surroundings?Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-63511922477227905352015-06-25T06:49:00.002-04:002015-10-13T08:10:08.788-04:00Gracious Southern Womanhood<strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Old Southern Ways</span></strong><br />I was born into the graceful world of the South, and I want to care for the old customs and manners. I believe many southern women long for the quiet dignity of our past. <br /><div><div><div><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Southern Cooking</span></strong></div>I believe in the rituals of southern home cooking. Many southern women rely on the time-honored recipes passed down through generations and across centuries. I stood at my mother's side as she mixed ingredients in the bowls her mother used, and her mother's mother, and on and on. <br /><div><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Southern Homemaking</span></strong></div><div>We want to maintain the old fashioned gentle arts of gracious homemaking. We&nbsp;care for our homes, as we know these things entrusted to our hands will become the heirlooms in our family's future. </div><div><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Southern Heritage</span></strong></div><div>Southern women cherish family heirlooms, whether it be grand furnishings, Grandmother's wooden mixing spoon, or the tender family stories and the sweet old hymns. We believe in preserving the blessings from our past in the face of an impersonal, modernized society.</div>I hope to find more southern women who share a reverence for our lovely traditional ways.</div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-75932431825794089302015-02-23T07:23:00.000-05:002015-10-13T08:20:37.074-04:00English Pottery In The Antebellum South<span style="color: #336666;"></span><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">English Pottery</span></span><br />Before the 1700's, the southern colonies relied on England for its porcelain. <br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">English Earthenware</span><br />Earthenware is made from potters' clay and lead glaze and has been manufactured in England since the medieval period. Earthenware was not produced in America until the 1620's.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">English Stoneware</span><br /><div><div><span style="color: #336666;"></span>Stoneware has been produced in England since 1540, and its earliest form is called Rhenishware. While it does not require a glaze, a salt glaze was sometimes added as an aesthetic and functional element, as this made stoneware easier to clean.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">Important Porcelain of the 1700's</span></div><div>Porcelain is very white, and its translucent quality makes it highly desirable. Produced in China since 500 A.D., porcelain was not introduced to Europe until the 1400's. Chinese porcelain is the oldest found in the colonial south. European ceramists tried to recreate Chinese porcelain but could not produce the quality, as true porcelain is made from kaolin clay. "Artificial porcelain" spread through Europe and eventually to&nbsp;America.</div><div>Until the 1700's Dutch delft, English delft, French faience, and stoneware from Europe abounded in America. It was not until the end of the 1700's that Staffordshire became the most highly prized European porcelain.<br /><span style="color: #a2c4c9;">Minton</span><br />Minton pottery of Staffordshire, England was established in 1793 and produced fine porcelain. The Minton mark has changed with the years, and this allows for ease in dating your items. From 1863-1872, Minton was marked with a globe. In 1873, the globe was topped with a crown, and an "S" was added.<br />English pottery often integrated the British Royal Arms into a mark. A lion was placed to the left and a unicorn to the right of a shield, and a crown topped it. Before 1837, the marks included a small shield centered on a larger one, but after 1837, it was removed.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">Wedgewood Creamware</span></div><div>In the late 1700's, Josiah Wedgewood developed a cream-colored earthenware still known as creamware, and although it is earthenware, it is highly sought-after. Queen Charlotte of England was the first to order it, thus Wedgewood is called "Queen's ware."</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Wedgewood Standards of 1780</span></div><div align="left">CC cream-colored</div><div align="left">edged shell-edged</div><div align="left">printed transfer printed</div><div align="left">dipped mocha</div><div align="left">painted hand-painted</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #336666;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Wedgewood</span> </span><span style="color: #76a5af;">Pearlware</span></div><div align="left">In 1779 Wedgewood developed "pearlware". It was a whiter stoneware, as cobalt was included in the glaze coating. Pearlware is the most common earthenware type in the early 1800's, but Wedgewood made very little pearlware, and it is very, very rare.</div><div align="left">The early pearlware can be distinguished from the later versions by the blue in the glaze around the handles and in the crevices.</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Mason's Ironstone</span></div><div align="left">In 1813, Charles James Mason patented ironstone in Staffordshire, England. It is a dense earthenware that resembles Chinese porcelain in its bluish color, but is never translucent like porcelain.</div><div align="left"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Whiteware</span><br />Whiteware is a less-expensive alternative to porcelain and other stonewares. It was very commonly manufactured in America in the 1800's. It is as white as porcelain but never translucent.</div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">Transferware</span></div><div>Transferware is very popular and very, very common. The item itself may be stoneware, creamware, or whiteware with a transfer printed image. An illustration is created and then made into a mold. The mold is then dipped in a color substance and set onto an already-fired ware. When the mold is removed the image remains. This type of print is identifiable by tiny dots of paint.</div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">Hand-Painted Polychrome</span></div><div>Polychrome was very popular in the 1800's. It is rather rare, as it was hand-painted and not mass-produced. The two most common decorative designs were <em>floral</em>, which showcased a specific flower; and <em>sprig</em>, which adorned the rim of a piece with a leaf pattern. Brush strokes are apparent on these pieces, as the were hand-painted.</div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">Annular Dippedware</span></div><div><div>Also called "diptware", these pieces have a ring, or repetitive rings, wrapping the rim. Undamaged period pieces are very rare, as they were quite utilitarian.</div></div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-87975887577972515892015-02-22T08:18:00.000-05:002015-10-13T08:21:27.847-04:00Southern Matron<span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Southern Beauty</span><span style="color: #336666;"><br /></span></span>I lament the passing of a genteel time. A time when the dignity of the southern matron was the highest standard.&nbsp; It was a pretty time when discretion, kindness, courtesy, and privacy were gifts bestowed upon all.<br /><div><div><div>The southern matron is our connection to our past and our family foundation. She represents a life lived in service. She is the keeper of our history, our stories, and our secrets. The South has always, always upheld a great reverence to aging gracefully. In France, and among certain classes in England, aging gracefully is high art and highly praised, too. "Elegance is the privilege of age" is an adage southerners believe in.</div><div><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Classic Dignity</span></strong></div><div>Her silver hair is always set, or in a chignon, or a tasteful French twist. The southern matron has spent her life carefully tending to herself and, most importantly, perfecting her demeanor.</div><div>She dresses to reflect the dignity of her station. The southern matron exercises discipline in matters of taste and dress. Lovely, tasteful, classic dresses in sumptuous fabrics carefully chosen to lend an air of refinement, never fashion. Stockings are worn, and shoes and pocketbooks are timeless. She limits her jewelry to a timeless few pieces: wedding set, pearls, and perhaps a brooch.</div><div>She is fastidious in her care for herself, her clothing and linens. </div><div>Her old fashioned treasures are carefully chosen and carefully arranged in delicate porcelain, or cut-glass, or even simple fruit or jelly jars. Fresh-cut flowers are always, always present. These are the luxuries of the southern lady.</div><div><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Southern Ways</span></strong></div><div>The southern matron lives her life in ritual and simple ceremony. She reads cherished leather bound volumes her ancestors read before her. Her stationery has remained the same throughout her life: light blue linen. The southern matron gardens and revels is the bountiful southern land. </div></div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-81885617461465484802015-02-19T06:58:00.000-05:002015-10-13T08:21:58.389-04:00Antique Southern Roses<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">Lady Banks' Rose</span><br />This abundant bloomer is a delicate and beautiful rose perfect for Eastertide. The tender, tiny roses bloom in white or yellow clusters and are perfect for your Easter dinner table, sideboard, or on bedside tables. The thornless stems make these&nbsp;fine little roses a lovely decoration&nbsp;for a child's Easter basket and are quite tasteful if worn to Easter services.<br /><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Southern Heritage</span></strong><br />Lady Banks' is an heirloom rose that has been grown in the South since the early 1800's. It was introduced to the west by J.D. Park for the Horticultural Society of London.<br />A walk through any historic southern cemetery will acquaint you with this pretty rose. Southern women tend to the graves of departed loved ones their whole lives, and heirloom roses are always planted. Its semi-evergreen shrub remains beautiful long after its blooming season and will grow quite tall.<br /><strong><span style="color: #76a5af;">Planting Lady Banks' Roses</span></strong><br />It is perfect planting season for the Lady Banks', as the cooler weather presents the lowest stress. Antique roses tolerate our southern heat and humidity well, as they are almost always impervious to blackspot.<br />Choose a planting area that gets at least six hours of full sun and is very well draining. Dig a hole that is twice the width and depth of the rootball. In the middle of the hole, create a "cone" of a soil mixture of 50/50 sharp sand and peat moss mix with a bit of organic fertilizer added. Place the plant into the cone and allow the root system to drape a bit over the cone. Hold the plant in place and add an improved soil mix until the roots are covered. Water well, and let it drain completely. Once drained, pat the soil down and finish filling the hole with soil. Pat down the surface again and cover with organic mulch.Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-11170493856941809682015-02-15T12:53:00.000-05:002015-10-13T08:22:44.673-04:00Rice Muffins<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">Sunday Morning</span><br /><div>Rice is a southern staple. Most southern women serve rice everyday, especially in the low country. We always have rice on hand, and we enjoy many delicious, traditional recipes that go back hundreds of years.</div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">Old Southern Tradition</span></div><div>For hundreds of years, my family's cuisine has remained virtually unchanged. It is not the tradition that breads are served with meals, nor do we eat casseroles, ever. Breads and biscuits are traditionally served with breakfast, however,&nbsp;but it is never served as breakfast. They are served in very limited quantity.</div><div>We have always taken our larger meals at dinner time (noon). We often have tea, which is a lighter meal, as our supper (4:00 pm), and these rice muffins have been served at teatime in my family for hundreds of years. <br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">An Elegant Accompaniment</span></div><div>The oldest account I can find of this recipe used in my family is the early 1800's. The texture is wonderful. It is not the modern version of a muffin, which I do not care for. It has an almost Yorkshire Pudding or soufflé texture, so it is lighter, yet richer at the same time. The baking powder is a much later addition to the original recipe, but it does ensure consistent rise.</div>Rice muffins are wonderful with sweet compotes and savory spreads, too. This recipe&nbsp;is quite easy to prepare and offers a subtle and elegant accompaniment&nbsp;to Sunday dinner. <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">Old Southern Kitchen</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">Rice Muffins</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">1 cup flour</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">4 tsp baking powder</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">1/2 tsp salt</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">1 1/2 tbls sugar</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">4 tbls melted butter</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">2 large eggs, beaten</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">1 cup slightly lukewarm milk</span></div><div align="center"><span style="color: #76a5af;">1 cup cooked rice, any variety</span><br /><span style="color: #76a5af;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Line standard-sized muffin tin with buttered muffin cups.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients and set aside.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">In another bowl, mix melted butter eggs, milk and rice.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Combine wet and dry ingredients.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Bake for 25-30 minutes.</span></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-16237006109936938492015-02-14T05:00:00.000-05:002015-10-13T08:23:23.403-04:00Southern Antiques<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: 130%;">West Indies Mahogany</span><br /><span style="color: #76a5af;">S.mahogoni</span><br /><div><div><div><div><div>True mahogany wood comes from the West Indies, Cuba, and Florida, and has been used for fine furniture since the 1500's. It appeared in England in the 1720's in the Queen Anne style. If one were to outfit a home in antebellum mahogany, solid S.mahogoni would be used.</div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">English Mahogany</span></div><div>In 1754 Thomas Chippendale published <em>The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker's Director</em>. It was the first book published in Europe dealing solely with furniture. Since most items were rendered in mahogany, it solidified mahogany's popularity. </div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">20th Century Mahogany</span></div><div>The 1940's saw a resurgence in mahogany in classic styles, but West Indies mahogany was not used in these mass-productions. African mahogany is much less expensive and more readily available. "Fiddleback" and "African Ribbon Stripe" grain patterns of the Khaya mahogany from Africa are now used and primarily as a veneer. </div><div><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">Important Southern Cabinetmakers and Suppliers</span></div><div style="border: currentColor; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #76a5af;">John Shaw</span></div><div>Shaw came from England to Annapolis, Maryland in 1763 and was <br /><div><div>established on Church Street by 1770. He worked in the Federal and Chippendale styles. He was one of the only southern cabinetmakers to use chestnut for lining drawers.</div></div></div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">William Camp</span></div><div>Camp made Federal furniture in Baltimore, Maryland.</div><div><span style="color: #76a5af;">Brazilia Deming and Erastus Bulkley</span></div><div>Deming and Bulkley supplied classical furniture on King Street in Charleston from 1818 to 1840.<br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">Important Styles</span><br /><span style="color: black;">Queen Anne, 1720-1750</span><br /><span style="color: black;">Chippendale, 1750-1780</span><br /><span style="color: black;">Federal, 1780-1820</span><br /><span style="color: black;">Hepplewhite, 1785-1800</span><br /><span style="color: black;">Duncan Phyfe, 1792-1847</span><br /><span style="color: black;">Sheraton, 1800-1820</span></div></div></div></div></div>Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-206726500941224171.post-54522571524642027912015-02-13T08:24:00.001-05:002015-10-13T08:23:54.590-04:00Old Southern Charm<span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">In The Land of Enchantment</span><br />Historically, southern women have understood and internalized the many interesting dichotomies of the south.&nbsp; Our environment is a rather powerful one.&nbsp;&nbsp;We endure extreme heat and blazing sun, yet enjoy such a lush, verdant&nbsp;land.&nbsp; We are stifled by the profundity of our humidity, but we are rewarded&nbsp;with the pristine beauty and delicacy of fragrant, jewel-like flowers.<br />Indeed, this is the foundation of true southern beauty.&nbsp; Our beauty is wrought in our resistance to the withering effects of our environment.&nbsp; We endeavor to remain serene and fresh in the midst of heat, strife, and trial.&nbsp; <br /><span style="color: #76a5af; font-size: large;">The World of Charm</span><br />We choose to create for ourselves&nbsp;a preferred environment, one which allows for our own cultivation.&nbsp; Just as a pretty magnolia blossom rests in&nbsp;its blue-green shade&nbsp;and is at its loveliest under proper conditions.<br />So, the southern woman maintains her own proper conditions.&nbsp; Behind the antebellum brick and old wrought iron and nestled&nbsp;in the tangled depths of ancient gardens&nbsp;she lives a life apart, it is the garden within her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>The cool, still green of inner reserve is where she treads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>She is in the company of her own thoughts and she guides her thoughts to the lush, gentle landscapes of care and reverence and repose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><br />This is the legacy of old southern beauty.<br />It is cultivated from within.Old Southern Gardennoreply@blogger.com